Charlie lifts a box with a force of 500 N and sets it on a table top 1.2 m above its starting position. Lauren pushes an identical box up a 5 m ramp from the floor to the top of the same table. Which person did more work?
a
Lauren did more work.
b
The size of each girl needs to be known to find the answer.
c
Charlie and Lauren did the same amount of work.
d
Charlie did more work.
To determine the work done by each person, we need to calculate the amount of work done by the force applied and the distance moved.
For Charlie, the work done is:
Work = force x distance = 500 N x 1.2 m = 600 J
For Lauren, the work done is:
Work = force x distance = weight x height = (500 N) x (5 m) = 2500 J
Therefore, Lauren did more work than Charlie. The answer is option a) Lauren did more work.
To determine which person did more work, we need to calculate the work done by each person. Work is calculated by multiplying the force applied by the distance over which the force is applied.
For Charlie:
Force applied by Charlie = 500 N
Distance lifted by Charlie = 1.2 m
Work done by Charlie = Force x Distance
= 500 N x 1.2 m
= 600 J
For Lauren:
Force applied by Lauren = 500 N (assumed to be the same as Charlie)
Distance moved by Lauren = 5 m (length of the ramp)
Work done by Lauren = Force x Distance
= 500 N x 5 m
= 2500 J
Comparing the work done by Charlie and Lauren, we see that Lauren did more work. Therefore, the correct answer is a) Lauren did more work.